The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-29
THE slILKIRK PASS.
Tho Indebtedness OF tho Canadian Pacific
taa Minnesotian for the Discovery ofths
pnss.

Prof. G. M. Grant OF the Queen'a
University, Kingston, Canada, gives
an interesting account in the Century,
| of his trip over the Canadian Pacific
Railroad from Montreal to Puget
Sound, and of the desperate search in
former years for q feasible pass over
the Selkirk Mountains, and how after
all other engineers had failed, the
pass was finally discovered in 1881
| by Major Rogers, an American en-
| gineer, n Minnesotian, and brother
| OF Hon. r. L. Rogers, OF
WaterviIle, Waseca county. 1t is
q thrilling narrative OF nerve, endur-
ance and final success. The following
| is quoted from Prof Grants article;
ain February, 1881, the syndicate
appointed an American, Maj. a. Is.
Rogers, G. E., engineer OF the Mountain
Division of the Canada Pacific Kali
way. He seemed 10 be about as unlike
ly man for the work OF ascertalnins
whether the Selkirks problem was sol
| uble as could have been chosen. he
knew little or nothing OF mountains;
his previous experience had been IN
states where there is no counterpart
| to the characteristic scenery and dif-
| ficulties OF British Columbia. But
Mai. Rogers, like o true descendent OF
the Pilgrim or Puritan fathers, isa
man who goes to theparticular wilder
ness to which he may be appointed,
asking no questions. Naturally IN
tense, self-reliant, and scornful OF APP
pearances, the opposite schooling oil
the old-fashioned Down-East training,
the rough experience OF engineer and
frontier life have made him so down
right that he is apt to be appalling to
ordinary mortals. Though between
so and go years OF age, hair and beard
now white, no youngster in his party
will plunge into the grimmest mount.
ain ranges with as little thought oil
commissariat or as complete con-
tempt OF danger, and no Indian will
encounter fatigue or famine Us stole
ally.
The major and his nephew, Mr.. AL
bert Rogers, hiring ut kamloops ten
Shuswap Indians from the Roman
Catholic mission to carry their packs,
started in April to force their way to
the east. They succeeded in reaching
the core OF the Selkirk range, by fol-
lowing the east fork of the Ille-Cille-
Waet; but, like Mo<erly on the north
fork, they got only to a cul de sac,
and their packs having become omi-
nously light, they-heavy with thee con-
seriousness OF failure-came to thecon-
clusion that retreat was inevitable.
Before retracing their steps, however,
they climbed the divide to see II any
break could be detected in the range.
Yes; q valley appeared in the direction
of an unexplored little affiuent or the
Ille-Cille-Waet, and, apparently con-
nected with it, depression extending
to the east. Everywhere else, all
around to the horizon, nothing but
"snowclad desolation." There OF
| five or six weeks endurance OF almost
intolerable misery was this CLEAN OF
hope.
Our Journey enabled us to under
stand what they must have suifereo.
The underbrush is OF the densest, ow-
ing to the ceaseless rain. Black flies
or mosquitoes do their part I'M
weariedly. What with fallen timber
of enormous size, precipices, prickly
| thorns, beaver dams, marshes full OF
fetid water to be waded through, alder
swamps, lakelets surrounded by bluffs
so steep that it would almost puzzlea
| channels to get over or around them,
we had all we wanted of the llle-Cille-
Waet and the Eagle Pass. But they
had started too early in the season.
The snow was not only deep, but 1t
was melting and rotting under spring
suns and rains, and therefore would
not bear their weight. Down they
sunk at every step, and often IN the
worst kind OF pitfalls. At first their
loads were so heavy that they had to
leave part behind, and then, al
ter camping early, return weari.
" on their tracks for the second
! load. The Indians would have deserted
them adozen times over, but the Major
had arranged with the mission that II
they returned without certificate
they were to get a.whipping instead Of
good nay. Nothing but pluck kept
them pegging away; but in spite OF all
they failed that year. The following
May the Major made his attack from
the other side OF the range, and again
he was unsuccessful. Swollen torrents
and scarcity of supplies forced him
back to his base, at the point where
the Kicking Horse River joins the Co
lumbia. On this occasion, had it not
been for the discovery of canoe, he
and his party would have starved.
Sorely against their will he had put
them on half rations, but he gladdened
their hearts one morning by announc.
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